Freedom!!!!

I am no longer a nanny!! And man does it feel good!!

My host family left on Monday for (yet another) vacation, this time to Montenegro. Since then, I have moved from the summer house--not to be confused with the dacha--to the apartment in the city. I've been sightseeing and enjoying beautiful St. Petersburg, plus its free wifi.

The last month of work was quite long and awful. I'm  very grateful it's over with. Mark's 10 days at French camp maybe have been less than fun for him, but time passed much faster for me without him. While he was gone, we went to the dacha, the St. Petersburg zoo (I don't recommend this tiny, crappy place), and enjoyed a more relaxed atmosphere at home, as Olga's main source of frustration was gone.

I am very thankful I got to fulfill a dream and come to Russia this summer, but I have learned my lesson about taking care of children: I shouldn't. Next time I want to visit somewhere new, I think I'll pay to come as a tourist.

Before heading back to Madrid later this month, I'll visit Moscow this weekend! I am excited to get my communist on and see Red Square!

Potpourri

-Russians always take their shoes off when they go in people's homes and wear slippers inside. No one is ever barefoot. 

-I had no idea before, but many different kinds of porridges exist, and I think I've tried a good number of them this summer. Not all porridges are created equal though. 

-My host family tells me there's virtually no middle class in Russia. Most people are poor while a few at the top have money. I'm guessing they're closer to the top, judging by the number of homes, employees, and vacations they have. 

-Russian cuisine consists mostly of meat, potatoes, and soups. As a vegetarian, I can't eat most of it. There doesn't appear to be a wide variety of pastries in this country either. 

-Black bread is good and hard  but not actually black. 

-And they drink tons of tea! 

-They put something called Smetana on almost everything they eat. Bread, soups, vegetables, you name it. Smetana is similar to sour cream but milder and less sour. I can't say it's my favorite. I think the dependence on smetana to add flavor to anything reveals a lot about Russian food. 

-the White Nights of St. Petersburg are finally over. I'm glad the sun is setting at a time I'm more accustomed to, because it was hard to fall asleep with the sun still up at midnight. 

-Russia is a place of extremes. Extreme poverty or extreme wealth, almost 24 hours of sunlight in summer or almost no sun in winter, no sense of style or...no sense of style. Ok maybe this isn't one thing or the other, but Russian fashion sense can best be described as extreme. The people here walk with a stone cold serious expression on their faces, and they  seem to have that same serious attitude when it comes to getting dressed. Russians are not playing around with their clothes. Clothing MUST have leopard print, velour, floral print, or rhinestones on it for it to be worn/purchased. If it doesn't have any of that, get that ish outta here! There are fashion trends that Russians seem to have a lasting, cross-generational love for, and that they never want to see die. Like velour track suits, which I thought people stopped wearing after 2005.  What I'm saying is, they don't know how to dress. 

-Russians' style of driving is best described as aggressive. They drive fast and with little regard for the rules of the road. I'm grateful my host family has a driver to take us everywhere, because I would be too afraid to get behind the wheel myself. 

-hitch hiking is very common here. People stand along the side of the road the same as anywhere else.  Unlike other countries, Russian hitch hikers will pay the car that picks them up.  Any car has the potential to be a taxi. I haven't done this yet and I don't plan on it since my languages skills are subpar.

17

Holy crap! It's been too long! Since I've blogged, since I've had a day off, since I've had decent internet access, since I've done anything other than take care of these children. 

Since I last wrote, Artem and Olga went on vacation to southern France for a week. While they were gone, the kids, the cleaning lady Chris, babushka, and I were sent to the dacha for the week. It was a loooooooooooong week to say the least. I have no problem letting the mice play while the cat is away, but WOW these children didn't want to listen to any instructions from anyone. I'm glad the parents are back and can disciple their kids now.  Mark and Camilla weren't bothered at all by my threats (not even to be dragged by their toenails!). We've also come back to the summer house since the parents' return. It was nice to have a change of scenery but I paid a high price for it, as I feel like the children were trying to drive me crazy the whole week. 

It's been one month since I arrived and one month that I've been twerking for this family. And man has it been a long month! I'm twerking waaaaayyyyy more than expected, acting more as a mother to Camilla and Mark than an au pair. It's exhausting and not an experience I ever look forward to repeating. I am happily counting down the days until my last day of work. 

I hate to wish time away, but this is one period in my life I would really like to end sooner rather than later.  Russia has been great, but it only feels like I'm in Russia on my days off when I go into the city. Otherwise, I spend all day at the summer home speaking English, eating pretty much the same food I've always eaten. Being an au pair is not for me; thankfully I go to school to learn how to do something else. 

One thing here I am excited for is the ballet. I'm seeing Swan Lake at the Mariinsky theater tonight! I can't think of anything more Russian! 

Seth's visit & Dacha

Last week I enjoyed two days off in a row as my cousin Seth (who lives in Beijing) was in St. P for a wedding. I went with him, his girlfriend Bianca and their friend Carinna to Peterhof. It's czar Peter the Great's Palace outside the city so it was kinda like Versailles. I think Peterhof had more gold. Russians seem really into gold. We had a lovely day together admiring the "fountain art" (as my guide book with less than perfect English called it). It was so wonderful to spend the day with people closer to my own age and have adult conversation. And it was great to see Seth for the first time in 4 or 5 years. 

Since then Camilla's older brother Mark has come home after spending a month in Utah. My host dad Artem was an exchange student there and has stayed in touch with his host family. Mark lived with them and absolutely loved it. Maybe because it's so different from St. Petersburg? I don't really understand how someone could like such a boring state. Maybe it's pretty or something but beautiful landscapes can only be interesting for so long. His English is incredible and he talks A LOT. I think I've heard all his stories from the US like nine or ten times already. He's not as funny as Camilla but I won't hold that against him--for now. 

This weekend my host parents are going to southern France for a week. So we're off to the dacha! With Babushka. I really like this Russian granny, even if we don't speak the same languages. Hopefully we'll be able to relax from Olga's tight, constrictor like grip and not study as much. 

I'll be attending my first ballet soon! Artem really recommended I go while here (because Russia and the Mariisnky theater are so famous for it) so I got a ticket to see Swan Lake! I don't know the story very well but I saw Black Swan and there the same thing, right? Natalie Portman will be dancing here also, I believe.  

3 Weeks

Hello again!

I'm sorry I'm not the most faithful blogger but we don't have Internet at home. I can only get online on my days off when I come into the city.

I've been here almost three weeks and spent almost two working as an au pair. We moved from the city apartment to the country house, spent a weekend at the lake house (dacha in Russian), and celebrated grandpa Boris' 60th birthday (who visited Memphis in 1992 to visit his cousins living there-small world!). Camilla and I get along well; we spend our days playing and studying English. She's fun and a overall a good kid. This Saturday her older brother Mark returns from almost a month in the US. The family says Mark is very different from Camilla but I don't know yet how. I'm really not sure what to expect with this kid.

I've gotten to know the city a little more also. It's beautiful and very much like the rest of Western Europe. Yesterday and today are my days off. Normally I only have Wednesdays off but I managed to get today as well because my cousin Seth is here! Seth lives in Beijing and is visiting St. Petersburg for a wedding. Today we're going to the Pererhof Palace with his girlfriend and friends. I am so excited for adult conversation!!!! Camilla is cool but you can only talk to a 7 year old about so much.

Russia is not as different as I expected. We eat at the same times people eat in Spain. They haven't fed me anything strange or unusual (yet). I've learned a few words in Russian but I have a pretty bad American accent. 

New city, new adventure!

Hello from St. Petersburg!!

I arrived from Madrid via Barcelona this afternoon, although my suitcase is visiting Moscow this weekend. 

I'll be spending the summer here working as an au pair and English teacher to a Russian family. Russia is a country I have long wanted to see, so excited is an understatement. 

My host dad Artem picked me up from the airport and show me around the city some. I won't start working as an au pair until next week so I have Sunday and Monday to see more of the sights. Monday evening we'll move to their country house for the summer. I haven't done or seen much so there's not much to write. To those who are worried, don't, because I have yet to be sex trafficked! Fear not, I am probably too old to be sold into sexual slavery. 

And that's all for now! I am off to bed after a long day of travel. 

Hasta La Proxima, Tabs

My dear friend, Tabea Luttmer, has returned to Germany. Yes, I know, this exchange must come to an end eventually, but that doesn't make goodbye any easier. Our parting has come sooner than expected (for reasons that are not interesting to you, but ridiculous), but since Tabs is huge Elvis fan and her family has a house in Florida for the summer, this was just hasta la proxima until Graceland later this summer.